Monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, preparation method thereof, recycled plastic, and molded product using the same

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic that contains a high-purity aromatic diol compound recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of a polycarbonate-based resin, a method for preparing the same, and a recycled plastic and molded product using the same. Also, the present disclosure relates to a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic that contains a by-product with a high added value recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of a polycarbonate-based resin, a method for preparing the same, and a recycled plastic and molded product using the same.

TECHNICAL FIELD Cross-Reference to Related Application(s)

This application is a National Phase entry pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2022/010308, filed on Jul. 14, 2022, and claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0122001, filed on Sep. 13, 2021, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0122002, filed on Sep. 13, 2021, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0122003, filed on Sep. 13, 2021, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0122004, filed on Sep. 13, 2021, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0128892, filed on Sep. 29, 2021, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0136153, filed on Oct. 13, 2021 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic that contains a high-purity aromatic diol compound recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of a polycarbonate-based resin, a method for preparing the same, and a recycled plastic and molded product using the same.

Also, the present disclosure relates to a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic that contains a by-product with a high added value recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of a polycarbonate-based resin, a method for preparing the same, and a recycled plastic and molded product using the same.

BACKGROUND

Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic polymer and is a plastic having excellent characteristics such as excellent transparency, ductility, and relatively low manufacturing cost.

Although polycarbonate is widely used for various purposes, environmental and health concerns during waste treatment have been continuously raised.

Currently, a physical recycling method is carried out, but in this case, a problem accompanying the deterioration of the quality occurs, and thus, research on the chemical recycling of polycarbonate is underway.

Chemical decomposition of polycarbonate refers to obtaining an aromatic diol compound as a monomer (e.g., bisphenol A (BPA)) through decomposition of polycarbonate, and then utilizing it again in polymerization to obtain a high-purity polycarbonate. For such a chemical decomposition, thermal decomposition, hydrolysis, and alcohol decomposition are typically known. Among these, the most common method is alcohol decomposition using a base catalyst, but in the case of methanol decomposition, there is a problem that methanol is used which is harmful to the human body, and in the case of ethanol, there is a problem that high temperature and high pressure conditions are required and the yield is not high.

In addition, although an alcohol decomposition method using an organic catalyst is known, it is disadvantageous in terms of economics.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art, or suggestions of the prior art, by inclusion in this section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Technical Problem

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic that can secure a high-purity aromatic diol compound recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of a polycarbonate-based resin.

It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a method for preparing the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, and a recycled plastic, and molded product using the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic.

Technical Solution

In order to achieve the above object, provided herein is a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, comprising: an aromatic diol compound, wherein the monomer composition has a color coordinate L* of more than 95, and a color coordinate a* of −0.06 to 0.10, and wherein the monomer composition is a recovered product from a polycarbonate-based resin.

Also provided herein is a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, comprising: two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, wherein the dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are recovered products from a polycarbonate-based resin.

Further provided herein is a method for preparing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, the method comprising the steps of: depolymerizing a polycarbonate-based resin in the presence of a solvent containing methanol and ethanol; and separating a carbonate precursor from the depolymerization reaction product.

Further provided herein is a recycled plastic, comprising: a reaction product of the monomer composition and a comonomer.

Further provided herein is a molded product comprising the recycled plastic.

Below, a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, a method for preparing the same, and a recycled plastic, and molded product using the same according to specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail.

Unless explicitly stated herein, the technical terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

The singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” used herein are intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It should be understood that the terms “comprise,” “include”, “have”, etc. are used herein to specify the presence of stated feature, region, integer, step, action, element and/or component, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature, region, integer, step, action, element, component and/or group.

Further, the terms including ordinal numbers such as “a first”, “a second”, etc. are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component, and are not limited by the ordinal numbers. For instance, a first component may be referred to as a second component, or similarly, the second component may be referred to as the first component, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

1. Monomer Composition for Synthesizing Recycled Plastic

(1) First Composition

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there can be provided a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, which comprises an aromatic diol compound, wherein a color coordinate L* is more than 95, and a color coordinate a* is −0.06 to 0.10, and wherein the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic is recovered from a polycarbonate-based resin.

The present inventors have found through experiments that although the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment was recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of the polycarbonate-based resin, the composition satisfies high purity and excellent color coordinate characteristics at the level of a newly synthesized aromatic diol compound, thereby capable of realizing excellent physical properties in the synthesis of polycarbonate-based resins using the same, and completed the present disclosure.

In particular, the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, and the monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastic of the other embodiment which comprises two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, wherein the dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin, can be respectively simultaneously obtained in a method for preparing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics, which will be described later.

That is, the present disclosure can have technical features that a first composition comprising an aromatic diol compound is obtained with high purity through recycling by chemical decomposition of polycarbonate-based resin, and at the same time, a second composition comprising two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and ethylmethyl carbonate, which are by-products with high added value, can also be obtained.

Specifically, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment is characterized by being recovered from a polycarbonate-based resin. That is, this means that recovery is performed from the polycarbonate-based resin in order to obtain the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, and as a result, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics containing the aromatic diol compound is obtained together.

The polycarbonate-based resin is meant to include both a homopolymer and a copolymer containing a polycarbonate repeating unit, and collectively refers to a reaction product obtained through a polymerization reaction or a copolymerization reaction of a monomer containing an aromatic diol compound and a carbonate precursor. When it contains one carbonate repeating unit obtained by using only one aromatic diol compound and one carbonate precursor, a homopolymer can be synthesized. In addition, when one aromatic diol compound and two or more carbonate precursors are used as the monomer, or two or more aromatic diol compounds and one carbonate precursor are used, or one or more other diols is used in addition to the one aromatic diol compound and the one carbonate precursor to contain two or more carbonates, a copolymer can be synthesized. The homopolymer or copolymer can include all of low-molecular compounds, oligomers, and polymers depending on the molecular weight range.

Further, the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment may include an aromatic diol compound. Specific examples of the aromatic diol compound include bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)ether, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfoxide, bis (4 -hydroxyphenyl) sulfide, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)ketone, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (bisphenol A), 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane (bisphenol Z), 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dibromophenyl)propane, 2,2 -bis (4-hydroxy-3,5-dichlorophenyl)propane, 2,2-bis (4-hydroxy-3-bromophenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3-chlorophenyl)propane, 2,2-bis (4-hydroxy-3-methylphenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)propane, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-phenylethane, or a mixture of two or more thereof, and the like. Preferably, the aromatic diol compound of the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment may be 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (bisphenol A).

The aromatic diol compound is characterized by being recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin used for recovering the monomer composition for synthesizing the recycled plastic. That is, this means that recovery is performed from the polycarbonate-based resin in order to obtain the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, and as a result, an aromatic diol compound is also obtained together. Therefore, apart from the recovery from the polycarbonate-based resin in order to prepare the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, the case where a novel aromatic diol compound is added from the outside is not included in the category of aromatic diol compound of the present disclosure.

Specifically, “recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin” means being obtained through a depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin. The depolymerization reaction can be carried out under acidic, neutral or basic conditions, and particularly, the depolymerization reaction can proceed under basic (alkaline) conditions. Particularly, the depolymerization reaction can be preferably carried out in the presence of a mixed solvent of ethanol and methanol, as will be described later.

Meanwhile, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment may have a color coordinate b* value of less than 2, or 0.1 or more, or 0.1 to 1.9, or 1.49 to 1.80. Also, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment may have a color coordinate L* of more than 95, or 100 or less, or more than 95 and 100 or less, or 95.8 to 100, or 95.9 to 96.3. Further, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment may have a color coordinate a* of −0.06 to 0.10, or −0.05 to 0.10, or −0.04 to 0.09. As used herein, the “color coordinates” means coordinates in the CIE Lab color space, which are color values defined by CIE (Commossion International de l'Eclairage), and an arbitrary position in the CIE color space may be represented by three coordinate values, i.e., L*, a*, and b*.

Here, the L* value represents brightness, when L*=0, it represents black, and when L*=100, it represents white. In addition, the a* value represents a color having a corresponding color coordinate that leans toward one of pure red and pure green, and the b* value represents a color having a corresponding color coordinate that leans toward one of pure yellow and pure blue.

Specifically, the a* value is in the range of −a to +a. A maximum value of a* (a* max) represents pure red, and a minimum value of a* (a* min) represents pure green.

Further, the b* value is in the range of −b to +b. A maximum value of b* (b* max) represents pure yellow, and a minimum value of b* (b* min) represents pure blue. For example, a negative b* value represents a color leaning toward pure blue, and a positive b* value represents color leaning toward pure yellow. When comparing b*=50 with b*=80, b*=80 is closer to pure yellow than b*=50.

When the color coordinate L* value of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment excessively decreases to 95 or less, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment deteriorates in the color characteristics.

Meanwhile, when the color coordinate a* value of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment excessively increases to more than the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment represents a color excessively leaning toward red, resulting in poor color characteristics.

Further, when the color coordinate a* value of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment excessively decreases to less than −0.06, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment represents a color excessively leaning toward red, resulting in poor color characteristics.

Examples of the method for measuring the color coordinates L*, a*, b* values of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment are not particularly limited, and various color characteristic measurement methods in the field of plastics can be applied without limitation.

However, the color coordinates L*, a*, and b* values of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment can be measured in reflection mode using HunterLab UltraScan PRO Spectrophotometer as an example.

Meanwhile, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment may have an aromatic diol compound purity of more than 99%, or 100% or less, or more than 99% and 100% or less, or 99.1% to 100%, or 99.1% to 99.5%, or 99.1% to 99.4%.

Examples of the method for measuring the purity of the aromatic diol compound of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment are not particularly limited, and for example, ¹H NMR, ICP-MS analysis, HPLC analysis, UPLC analysis, etc. can be used without limitation. As for the specific methods, conditions, equipment, etc. of the NMR, ICP-MS, HPLC, and UPLC, various well-known contents can be applied without limitation.

An example of a method for measuring the purity of the aromatic diol compound of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment is follows. 1 wt % of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment was dissolved in acetonitrile (ACN) solvent under normal pressure and 20 to 30° C. conditions, and then the purity of bisphenol A (BPA) was analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) on a Waters HPLC system using ACQUITY UPLC®BEH C18 1.7 μm (2.1*50 mm column)

As described above, in the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, the purity of the aromatic diol compound, which is the main recovery target material, is remarkably increased to more than 99%, and other impurities are minimized, thereby capable of achieving excellent physical properties when synthesizing a polycarbonate-based resin using the same.

Meanwhile, in the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, diethyl carbonate may be obtained as a by-product. The diethyl carbonate is characterized by being recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin used for recovering the monomer composition for recycling plastic synthesis of the one embodiment.

That is, this means that recovery is performed from the polycarbonate-based resin in order to obtain the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, and as a result, two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are also obtained together. Therefore, apart from the recovery from the polycarbonate-based resin in order to prepare the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment, the case where two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of novel dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are added from the outside is not included in the category of two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate of the present disclosure.

Specifically, “recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin” means being obtained through a depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin. The depolymerization reaction can be carried out under acidic, neutral or basic conditions, and particularly, the depolymerization reaction can proceed under basic (alkaline) conditions. Particularly, the depolymerization reaction can be preferably carried out in the presence of a mixed solvent of ethanol and methanol, as will be described later.

Since the main recovery target material in the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment is an aromatic diol compound, the two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate can be separately separated as the by-product.

The monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiments described above may correspond to the separately separated by-product composition.

The monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment can be used as a raw material for preparing various recycled plastics (e.g., polycarbonate (PC)) which will be described later.

The monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment can be obtained by a method for preparing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics, which will be described later. That is, the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of one embodiment is the result obtained through various filtration, purification, washing, and drying processes in order to secure only the aromatic diol compound, which is the main recovery target material, with high purity after the depolymerization of the polycarbonate-based resin.

(2) Second Composition

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there can be provided a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic which contains two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, wherein the dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin.

The present inventors have found through experiments that the monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment is recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of the polycarbonate-based resin, thereby enabling the preparation of monomers with high added value, and completed the present disclosure.

The monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment may further comprise two or more, or all three compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate.

That is, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment may further comprise a mixture of two types of dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate, a mixture of two types of dimethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, a mixture of two types of diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, or a mixture of three types of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate.

The two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are characterized by being recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin used for recovering the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment. That is, this means that recovery is performed from the polycarbonate-based resin in order to obtain the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment, and as a result, the two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are also obtained together. Therefore, apart from the recovery from the polycarbonate-based resin in order to prepare the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment, the case where the two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of novel dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are added from the outside is not included in the category of two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate of the other embodiment.

Specifically, “recovered from the polycarbonate-based resin” means that it is obtained through a depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin. The depolymerization reaction can be carried out under acidic, neutral or basic conditions, and particularly, the depolymerization reaction can proceed under basic (alkaline) conditions.

The monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of another embodiment may contain dimethyl carbonate in a ratio of 1% to 30%, or 3% to 25%, and diethyl carbonate in a ratio of 10% to 65%, or 16% to 60%, and ethylmethyl carbonate in a ratio 30% to 60%, or 37% to 57%.

The method for measuring the ratio of the dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and ethylmethyl carbonate is not particularly limited, but one example thereof may be gas chromatography (GC) analysis. More specifically, each standard sample of diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC) is dissolved in an EtOH solvent at the same concentration, the peak area value measured by GC is set as a reference value, and the ratio of the peak area value of each carbonate by-product (diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC)) in the sample (the peak area value of the sample/the peak area value of the standard sample) is obtained. When the sum of the ratios of the peak area values of each carbonate by-product (diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC)) obtained through the GC result is 100%, the relative ratio of each carbonate by-product can be calculated.

As described above, the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment contains an excessive amount of ethylmethyl carbonate having a high added value, which can be utilized for recycling in various processes.

The monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment can be used as a raw material for manufacturing various recycled plastics (e.g., polycarbonate (PC), polyurethane, and epoxy resin) which will be described later.

The monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment may further include small amounts of other additives and solvents. Specific types of the additives or solvents are not particularly limited, and various materials widely used in the process of recovering the aromatic diol compound by a depolymerization of the polycarbonate-based resin can be applied without limitation.

The monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the one embodiment can be obtained by a method for preparing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics, which will be described later. That is, the monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment corresponds to the result obtained through various processes of filtration, purification, washing, and drying in order to secure only the dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and ethylmethyl carbonate, which are the main recovery target materials, with high purity after the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin.

2. Method for preparing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there can be provided a method for preparing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, the method comprising the steps of: depolymerizing a polycarbonate-based resin in the presence of a solvent containing methanol and ethanol; and separating a carbonate precursor from the depolymerization reaction product.

The present inventors confirmed through experiments that similarly to the method for preparing the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic of the other embodiments, during the depolymerization reaction that recycles polycarbonate-based resin by chemical decomposition, alcohol decomposition is carried out by applying both methanol and ethanol as reaction solvents, whereby not only the aromatic diol compound, which is the main target material for synthesis in the present disclosure, can be secured in high purity, but also two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, which are by-products with highly added values, can be secured, and completed the present disclosure.

In particular, when alcohol decomposition is performed using only methanol as in the past, or when alcohol decomposition is performed using only ethanol, it is difficult to secure ethylmethyl carbonate as a by-product, and it is difficult to secure dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate as by-products at the same time. However, according to the preparation method of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is the advantage that the aromatic diol compound, which is the main product, has high purity and excellent optical properties equal to or higher than the conventional one, and at the same time, two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate having high added value, especially ethylmethyl carbonate, can be secured in high yield.

Specifically, the method for preparing the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment may comprise a step of depolymerizing a polycarbonate-based resin in the presence of a solvent containing methanol and ethanol.

The polycarbonate-based resin is meant to include both a homopolymer and a copolymer containing a polycarbonate repeating unit, and collectively refers to a reaction product obtained through a polymerization reaction or a copolymerization reaction of a monomer containing an aromatic diol compound and a carbonate precursor. When it contains one carbonate repeating unit obtained by using only one aromatic diol compound and one carbonate precursor, a homopolymer can be synthesized. In addition, when one aromatic diol compound and two or more carbonate precursors are used as the monomer, or two or more aromatic diol compounds and one carbonate precursor are used, or one or more other diols is used in addition to the one aromatic diol compound and the one carbonate precursor to contain two or more carbonates, a copolymer can be synthesized. The homopolymer or copolymer can include all of low-molecular compounds, oligomers, and polymers depending on the molecular weight range.

The polycarbonate-based resin can be applied regardless of various forms and types, such as a novel polycarbonate-based resin produced through synthesis, a recycled polycarbonate-based resin produced through a regeneration process, or polycarbonate-based resin waste.

However, if necessary, before proceeding the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin, a pretreatment step of the polycarbonate-based resin is carried out, thereby capable of increasing the efficiency of the process of recovering the aromatic diol compound and the carbonate precursor from the polycarbonate-based resin. Examples of the pretreatment process may include washing, drying, grinding, glycol decomposition, and the like. The specific method of each pretreatment process is not limited, and various methods widely used in the process of recovering the aromatic diol compound and the carbonate precursor from the polycarbonate-based resin can be applied without limitation.

During the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin, the depolymerization reaction may be carried out under acidic, neutral or basic conditions, and particularly, the depolymerization reaction may be carried out under basic (alkali) conditions. The type of the base is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH). The base is a base catalyst acting as a catalyst, and has the economic advantages over organic catalysts, which are mainly used under mild conditions.

During the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin, the depolymerization reaction may be carried out by reacting a base in an amount of 0.5 mol or less, or 0.4 moles or less, or 0.3 moles or less, or 0.1 moles or more, or 0.2 mole or more, or 0.1 mole to 0.5 mole, or 0.1 mole to 0.4 mole, or 0.1 mole to 0.3 mole, or 0.2 mole to 0.5 mole, or 0.2 mole to 0.4 mole, or 0.2 mole to 0.3 mole relative to 1 mole of polycarbonate-based resin. When the polycarbonate-based resin is reacted with a base in an amount of more than 0.5 mol relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin during depolymerization of the polycarbonate-based resin, it is limited that impurities increase due to the effect of increasing the amount of alkali salt generated, so the purity of the target recovery material is reduced, and the economic efficiency of the catalytic reaction is reduced.

Further, the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin can be carried out in the presence of a solvent including methanol and ethanol. The present disclosure can stably obtain bisphenol A, which is a high-purity monomer, by decomposing a polycarbonate-based resin with a solvent including methanol and ethanol, and has the advantage that two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate having high added value can be further obtained as a reaction by-product.

Specifically, ethanol may be contained in an amount of 1 mole to 15 moles, or 1.1 moles to 15 moles, 1.2 moles to 15 moles, or 1.1 moles to 10 moles, or 1.2 moles to moles relative to 1 mole of methanol. When ethanol is used in an excessively small amount of less than 1 mole, or less than 1.1 mole, or less than 1.2 mole relative to 1 mole of methanol, there is a problem that the content of methanol, which is harmful to the human body, is excessively increased. In addition, when ethanol is used in an excessively large amount exceeding 15 moles relative to 1 mole of methanol, there is a limit that due to the decrease in methanol content, it is difficult to sufficiently secure dimethyl carbonate and ethyl methyl carbonate as by-products.

The content of the methanol and ethanol may be 5 to 15 moles, or 8 to 13 moles, or 10 to 12 moles relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin. The content of methanol and ethanol means the sum of the content of methanol and the content of ethanol. Further, since the methanol and ethanol have good solubility in bisphenol A, methanol and ethanol within the above range should be essentially contained. When the content of the methanol and ethanol is excessively reduced to less than 5 moles relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin, it is difficult to sufficiently progress the alcohol decomposition of polycarbonate-based resin. On the other hand, when the content of methanol and ethanol is excessively increased to more than 15 moles relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin, the economics of the process can be reduced due to excessive use of alcohol.

The solvent in which the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin proceeds may further include, in addition to methanol and ethanol, at least one organic solvent selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran, toluene, methylene chloride, chloroform, dimethyl carbonate, ethylmethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and dipropyl carbonate.

The organic solvent may include tetrahydrofuran, toluene, methylene chloride, chloroform, dimethyl carbonate, ethylmethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dipropyl carbonate, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

More preferably, methylene chloride can be used as the organic solvent. When methylene chloride is used as an organic solvent to be mixed with the methanol and ethanol, there is an advantage that the dissolution properties in polycarbonate can be improved and the reactivity can be enhanced.

The content of the organic solvent may be 16 moles to 20 moles, or 16 moles to 18 moles relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin. In addition, the content of the organic solvent may be 1.5 moles to 2 moles relative to 1 mole of the total of methanol and ethanol. By mixing the polycarbonate-based resin, methanol and ethanol, and an organic solvent within the above range, there is an advantage that the depolymerization reaction of the polymer can proceed at a desired level.

Meanwhile, the temperature at which the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin proceeds is not particularly limited, but for example, the reaction may proceed at a temperature of 20° C. to 100° C., or 50° C. to 70° C. In addition, the depolymerization of the polycarbonate-based resin may proceed for 1 hour to 30 hours, or 4 hours to 6 hours.

Specifically, the conditions are mild process conditions relative to the conventional pressurizing/high temperature process, and by performing stirring under the above conditions, the process can be performed in a mild process as compared to the pressurizing/high temperature process. In particular, when stirring at 50° C. to 70° C. for 4 to 6 hours, there is an advantage of obtaining the most efficient results in terms of reproducibility and acceptability.

That is, according to the present disclosure, by adjusting the type and mixing amount of the mixed solvent and the type and content of the base catalyst without using an organic catalyst, there is the advantage that a high-purity aromatic diol compound (e.g., bisphenol A) can be obtained under mild conditions without using a pressure/high temperature process, and diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, ethylmethyl carbonate can be obtained as the by-products by using methanol and ethanol solvents.

More specifically, the step of depolymerizing a polycarbonate-based resin in the presence of a solvent containing methanol and ethanol may comprise a step of adding a base to a mixed solvent of methanol and ethanol and an organic solvent to prepare a catalyst solution; and a step of adding a carbonate-based resin to the catalyst solution and stirring the mixture. In the first step, the details of methanol, ethanol, organic solvent, base, and polycarbonate-based resin are the same as described above.

Meanwhile, the method for preparing the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment may further comprise a neutralization reaction step of the depolymerization product with an acid, before the step of separating a carbonate precursor from the depolymerization reaction product.

For example, the alkali decomposition product of the polycarbonate-based resin includes an aromatic diol compound, or a salt thereof, but the main recovery target material of the present disclosure is an aromatic diol compound. Therefore, in the case of the salt of the aromatic diol compound obtained by alkaline decomposition, it can be converted into an aromatic diol compound through an additional acid neutralization process. That is, when the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin is an alkaline decomposition, it can undergo a neutralization reaction step with an acid.

The acid used in the neutralization reaction may be a strong acid, for example, hydrochloric acid (HCl). Due to the neutralization reaction by the strong acid, the pH can satisfy less than 6, or 4 or less, or 2 or less upon completion of the neutralization reaction. The temperature during the neutralization reaction can be adjusted to 25° C. or more and 100° C. or less.

Further, if necessary, after proceeding the neutralization reaction step of the depolymerization reaction product by an acid, a step of removing residual impurities through filtration or absorption can be further performed. Specifically, the aqueous layer and the organic layer can be separated, and the organic layer can be filtered through a vacuum filtration to recover the liquid containing the aromatic diol compound.

Meanwhile, the method for preparing the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment may comprise a step of separating the carbonate precursor from the depolymerization reaction product. The carbonate precursor thus separated corresponds to the second composition according to the one embodiment. Thus, the separated carbonate precursor may include two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and ethylmethyl carbonate.

For example, the depolymerization reaction product of the polycarbonate-based resin includes an aromatic diol compound or a salt thereof and a carbonate precursor. The contents related to the aromatic diol compound and the carbonate precursor include all the contents described above in the one embodiment.

In the step of separating the carbonate precursor from the depolymerization reaction product, a reduced pressure distillation step of the depolymerization reaction product can be included. Examples of the reduced pressure distillation conditions are not particularly limited, but in a specific example, the depolymerization reaction product of the polycarbonate-based resin is pressurized under a pressure of 200 mbar to 300 mbar and a temperature of 20° C. to 30° C., and depressurized under a pressure of 10 mbar to 50 mbar and a temperature of 20° C. to 30° C. and subjected to a low-temperature distillation.

The separated carbonate precursor can be recycled without a separate purification process, or can be recycled through separation and purification such as conventional extraction, adsorption, and drying, if necessary. Specific purification conditions are not particularly limited. As for the specific refining equipment and methods, various well-known purification techniques can be applied without limitation.

Meanwhile, the method for preparing the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics of the other embodiment may further include a step of purifying the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated. Thereby, an aromatic diol compound, which is the main recovered material, is obtained, which corresponds to the first composition according to the one embodiment.

Specifically, the purification step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated may include a step of washing the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated. In addition, the purification step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated may include an adsorption purification step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated. Further, the purification step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated may include a recrystallization step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated.

The order of the washing step; the adsorption purification step; or the recrystallization step is not particularly limited, and it is irrelevant to proceed in any order, but for example, the washing step; the absorption purification step; and the recrystallization step can proceed in this order. The washing step; the absorption purification step; and the recrystallization step can proceed repeatedly at least once or more. As for the specific washing and adsorption equipment and methods, various well-known purification techniques can be applied without limitation.

Specifically, in the washing step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated, the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated may contain an aromatic diol compound. However, since various impurities remain during the recovery process of obtaining the aromatic diol compound, washing can proceed in order to sufficiently remove these impurities and secure a high-purity aromatic diol compound.

Specifically, the washing step may include a step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less, or 20° C. or more and 30° C. or less; and a step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less, or 40° C. or more and 60° C. or less, or 45° C. or more and 55° C. or less. The temperature condition means the temperature inside the washing container at which washing with a solvent is performed. In order to maintain a high temperature deviating from a room temperature, various heating devices can be applied without limitation.

In the washing step, the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less may be performed first, and the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less may be performed later. Alternatively, the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less may be performed first, and the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less may be performed later.

More preferably, in the washing step, the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less may be performed first, and the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less may be performed later. Thereby, the corrosion of the reactor due to strong acid after the neutralization step can be minimized

The step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less; and the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less can be repeated at least once or more, respectively.

Further, if necessary, after proceeding the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less; and the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less, a step of removing the residual solvent through filtration may be further performed.

More specifically, the difference value between the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less and the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and or less may be 20° C. or more and 50° C. or less.

The difference value between the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less and the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less means a value obtained by subtracting the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less from the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less.

When the difference value between the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less and the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less decreases excessively to less than 20° C., it is difficult to sufficiently remove impurities.

When the difference value between the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less and the temperature of the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less increases excessively to more than 50° C., severe conditions are formed to maintain extreme temperature conditions, which can reduce the efficiency of the process.

The solvent used in the washing step may include one of water, alcohol, and an organic solvent. As the organic solvent, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, methylene chloride, chloroform, dimethyl carbonate, ethylmethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dipropyl carbonate, or a mixture of two or more thereof can be used.

The solvent used in the washing step can be used in a weight ratio of 1 mole to moles, or 2 moles to 25 moles based on 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin used in the depolymerization reaction.

More specifically, the solvent in the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 10° C. or more and 30° C. or less may be an organic solvent. Preferably, methylene chloride can be used as the organic solvent. At this time, the organic solvent can be used in an amount of 1 mole to 10 moles, or 1 mole to 5 moles based on 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin.

Moreover, the solvent in the step of washing with a solvent at a temperature of 40° C. or more and 80° C. or less may be water. When water is used, impurities in the form of residual salts can be effectively removed. At this time, the solvent can be used in an amount of 20 moles to 30 moles, or 20 moles to 25 moles based on 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin.

Meanwhile, in the adsorption purification step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated, an adsorbent can be brought into contact with the depolymerization reaction product. Examples of the adsorbent that can be used include activated carbon, charcoal, celite, or a mixture thereof. That is, the adsorption purification step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated may include a step of adding an adsorbent to the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated to perform an adsorption purification and then removing the adsorbent.

The activated carbon is a black carbon material having micropores produced by subjecting a raw material to a carbonization process at about 500° C. and an activated carbon process at about 900° C., and examples thereof are not particularly limited, but for example, various activated carbons such as plant-based, coal-based, petroleum-based, waste-based activated carbons can be applied without limitation depending on the type of raw material. In more specific examples, the plant-based activated carbon may include coconut activated carbon, wood activated carbon, and sawdust activated carbon. Also, the coal-based activated carbon may include lignite activated carbon, bituminous coal activated carbon, and anthracite activated carbon. Further, the petroleum-based activated carbon may include petroleum coke activated carbon and oil carbon activated carbon. Further, the waste activated carbon may include synthetic resin activated carbon and pulp activated carbon.

The adsorption purification conditions by the first adsorbent are not particularly limited, and various well-known adsorption purification conditions can be used without limitation. However, as an example, the addition amount of the adsorbent may be 40% by weight to 60% by weight relative to the polycarbonate-based resin, the adsorption time may be 1 hour to 5 hours, and the adsorption method may be a stirring adsorption or an adsorption tower for lab.

If necessary, the method may further include a step of adding a solvent to the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated, before the adsorption purification step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated. Examples of the solvent include ethanol, and the ethanol may be added in a ratio of 1 mole to 20 moles, or 10 moles to 20 moles, or 15 moles to 20 moles relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin. Aromatic diol compound crystals included in the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated can be redissolved in a solvent through the step of adding a solvent to the depolymerization reaction product in which the carbonate precursor has been separated.

Meanwhile, in the recrystallization step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated, a high-purity aromatic diol compound can be secured by sufficiently removing various impurities contained in the depolymerization product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated.

Specifically, the recrystallization step may include a step of adding water to the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated to perform recrystallization. Through the step of adding water to the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated to perform recrystallization, the solubility of the aromatic diol compound or its salt contained in the depolymerization reaction product is increased, and thus, crystals, or impurities interposed between crystals can be dissolved with a solvent to the maximum, and further, since the dissolved aromatic diol compound has poor solubility relative to impurities, it can be easily precipitated into aromatic diol compound crystals through the difference in solubility when the temperature is lowered subsequently.

More specifically, in the step of adding water to the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated to perform recrystallization, 200 moles to 400 moles, or 250 moles to 350 moles of water can be used with respect to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin. When the water is used in an excessively small amount, the temperature for dissolving the aromatic diol compound contained in the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated becomes too high, which thus deteriorates in the process efficiency, and it is difficult to remove impurities through recrystallization. On the other hand, when water is used in an excessive amount, the solubility of the aromatic diol compound contained in the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated becomes too high, and thus, the yield of the aromatic diol compound recovered after recrystallization is reduced, and the process efficiency can be reduced due to the use of large amounts of solvent.

If necessary, after proceeding the recrystallization step of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated, a step of removing residual impurities through filtration or adsorption can be further performed.

In addition, if necessary, after the recrystallization step, the method may further include a drying step. The remaining solvent can be removed by the drying, and the specific drying conditions are not particularly limited, but for example, the drying can be performed at a temperature of 10° C. to 100° C., or 10° C. to 50° C. As for the specific drying equipment and method used in the drying, various well-known drying techniques can be applied without limitation.

3. Recycled Plastic

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a recycled plastic comprising a reaction product of the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastic of the one embodiment and a comonomer can be provided. Alternatively, a recycled plastic comprising a reaction product of the monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastic of the other embodiment and a comonomer can be provided.

The details of the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastic of the one embodiment and the monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastic of the other embodiment include all the contents described above in the one embodiment and the other embodiment.

Examples corresponding to the recycled plastic are not particularly limited, and may include a polycarbonate-based resin, a polyurethane-based resin, an epoxy resin, and the like. Specifically, for the recycled plastic comprising the reaction product of the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing the recycled plastic of the one embodiment and the comonomer, various plastics synthesized from aromatic diol compounds such as bisphenol A as a monomer can be applied without limitation, and a more specific example may be a polycarbonate-based resin.

Further, specifically, for the recycled plastic comprising the reaction product of the monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing the recycled plastic of the other embodiment and the comonomer, various plastics synthesized from a carbonate precursor such as dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, or ethylmethyl carbonate as a monomer can be applied without limitation, and a more specific example may be a polycarbonate-based resin, or polyurethane-based resin, epoxy resin.

In particular, the polycarbonate-based resin is meant to include both a homopolymer and a copolymer containing a polycarbonate repeating unit, and collectively refers to a reaction product obtained through a polymerization reaction or a copolymerization reaction of a monomer containing an aromatic diol compound and a carbonate precursor. When it contains one carbonate repeating unit obtained by using only one aromatic diol compound and one carbonate precursor, a homopolymer can be synthesized. In addition, when one aromatic diol compound and two or more carbonate precursors are used as the monomer, or two or more aromatic diol compounds and one carbonate precursor are used, or one or more other diols is used in addition to the one aromatic diol compound and the one carbonate precursor to contain two or more carbonates, a copolymer can be synthesized. The homopolymer or copolymer can include all of low-molecular compounds, oligomers, and polymers depending on the molecular weight range.

More specifically, in the recycled plastic containing the reaction product of the monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing the recycled plastic and the comonomer of the one embodiment, a carbonate precursor can be used as the comonomer. Specific examples of the carbonate precursor include phosgene, triphosgene, diphosgene, bromophosgene, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dibutyl carbonate, dicyclohexyl carbonate, diphenyl carbonate, ditolyl carbonate, bis(chlorophenyl)carbonate, m-cresyl carbonate, dinaphthyl carbonate, bis(diphenyl) carbonate or bishaloformate. A monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics including, as the carbonate precursor, two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate according to another embodiment can be used.

In addition, in the recycled plastic comprising the reaction product of the monomer composition (second composition) for synthesizing the recycled plastic of the other embodiment and the comonomer, the comonomer may include an aromatic diol compound.

Specific examples of the aromatic diol compound include bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) ether, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone, bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfoxide, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfide, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)ketone, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (bisphenol A), 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane (bisphenol Z), 2,2 -bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dibromophenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dichlorophenyl)propane, 2,2 -bis(4-hydroxy-3-bromophenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3-chlorophenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methylphenyl)propane, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)propane, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-phenylethane, a mixture of two or more thereof, or the like. A monomer composition (first composition) for synthesizing recycled plastics containing the aromatic diol compound as the aromatic diol compound according to the one embodiment can be used.

Examples of the reaction process of the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic for synthesizing the polycarbonate-based resin and the comonomer are not particularly limited, and various well-known polycarbonate preparation methods can be applied without limitation.

However, in one example of the polycarbonate preparation method, a polycarbonate preparation method including the step of polymerizing a composition containing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic and a comonomer can be used. At this time, the polymerization can be carried out by interfacial polymerization, and during interfacial polymerization, polymerization reaction is possible at normal pressure and low temperature, and the molecular weight is easy to control.

The polymerization temperature may be 0° C. to 40° C., and the reaction time may be 10 minutes to 5 hours. In addition, the pH during the reaction may be maintained at 9 or more or 11 or more.

The solvent that can be used for the polymerization is not particularly limited as long as it is a solvent used for polymerization of polycarbonate in the art, and as an example, halogenated hydrocarbons such as methylene chloride and chlorobenzene can be used.

Moreover, the polymerization can be carried out in the presence of an acid binder. As the acid binder, an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, or an amine compound such as pyridine can be used.

Further, in order to adjust the molecular weight of the polycarbonate during the polymerization, polymerization can be performed in the presence of a molecular weight modifier. An alkylphenol having 1 to 20 carbon atoms may be used as the molecular weight modifier, and specific examples thereof include p-tert-butylphenol, p-cumylphenol, decylphenol, dodecylphenol, tetradecylphenol, hexadecylphenol, octadecylphenol, eicosylphenol, docosylphenol or triacontylphenol. The molecular weight modifier can be added before, during or after the initiation of polymerization. The molecular weight modifier may be used in an amount of 0.01 to 10 parts by weight, or 0.1 to 6 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the aromatic diol compound, and a desired molecular weight can be obtained within this range.

In addition, in order to promote the polymerization reaction, a reaction accelerator such as a tertiary amine compound, a quaternary ammonium compound, or a quaternary phosphonium compound, including triethylamine, tetra-n-butylammonium bromide, or tetra-n-butylphosphonium bromide can be further used.

4. Molded Product

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a molded article comprising the recycled plastic of the other embodiment can be provided. The details of the recycled plastic includes all the contents described above in the other embodiments.

The molded article can be obtained by applying the recycled plastic to various known plastic molding methods without limitation. As an example of the molding method, injection molding, foam injection molding, blow molding, or extrusion molding may be mentioned.

Examples of the molded article are not particularly limited, and can be applied to various molded articles using plastic without limitation. Examples of the molded article include automobiles, electrical and electronic products, communication products, daily necessities, building materials, optical components, exterior materials, and the like.

The molded article may further include one or more additives selected from the group consisting of an antioxidant, a plasticizer, an antistatic agent, a nucleating agent, a flame retardant, a lubricant, an impact enhancer, an optical brightener, an ultraviolet absorber, a pigment and a dye, if necessary, in addition to the recycled plastic of the other embodiments.

An example of the manufacturing method of the molded article may include a step of mixing the recycled plastic of the other embodiment and an additive well using a mixer, extrusion-molding the mixture with an extruder to produce pellets, drying the pellets, and then injecting them with an injection molding machine.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present disclosure, a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic that contains a high-purity aromatic diol compound recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of a polycarbonate-based resin, a method for preparing the same, and a recycled plastic and molded product using the same can be provided. In addition, a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastics containing by-products with high added value recovered through recycling by chemical decomposition of polycarbonate-based resins, a method for preparing the same, a recycled plastic and molded article using the same can be provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be explained in detail with reference to the following examples. However, these examples are for illustrative purposes only, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

EXAMPLE Preparation of recycled bisphenol A monomer composition Example 1

(1. Decomposition step) 28 mol of Mixed solvent of ethanol/methanol/methylene chloride (molar ratio of ethanol: methanol: methylene chloride=10:1:17) and 0.25 mol of sodium hydroxide were added to a 250 ml 3-neck flask, and stirred. Then, 1 mol of waste polycarbonate (PC) was added thereto, and stirred at 60° C. for 6 hours to proceed a PC depolymerization. The depolymerization reaction product was cooled to room temperature to obtain a bisphenol A mixture.

(2. Neutralization stage) The mixture containing the bisphenol A was neutralized using 0.25 mole of 1N hydrochloric acid (HC1) at 20-30° C., the aqueous layer and the organic layer were separated, and the organic layer was filtered through vacuum filtration to obtain a liquid containing bisphenol A.

(3-1. Purification-Distillation step) After that, 23 mol of water was added to the organic layer lowered to less than pH 6, and then the by-product diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), and the previously used methylene chloride, methanol, ethanol, and water were recovered through a low-temperature distillation reducing pressure from 250 mbar and 20-30° C. to 30 mbar and

(3-2. Purification-Washing step) When distillation was carried out for a certain period of time through the above process, bisphenol-A was precipitated and formed into a slurry state. The solid was vacuum filtrated, recovered, and then primarily washed using 3 moles of methylene chloride (MC) at 20-30° C., vacuum-filtered, recovered, and secondarily washed using 23 mol of water at 50° C.

(4-1. Additional purification step-redissolving step) 16.6 mol of ethanol was added to the washed material and redissolved.

(4-2. Additional purification step-Adsorption step) After that, lignite activated carbon was added at a ratio of 50 wt. % relative to waste polycarbonate, and purified through adsorption for 3 hours, and then filtered to remove the lignite activated carbon.

(4-3. Additional purification step-Recrystallization step) After that, 260 mol of water was slowly added to recrystallize bisphenol A, and then the obtained slurry was vacuum filtrated at 20 to 30° C. to recover bisphenol A (BPA) crystals.

(5. Drying step) After that, it was dried in a vacuum convection oven at 40° C. to prepare a recycled bisphenol A monomer composition in which recycled bisphenol A (BPA) was recovered.

Example 2

A recycled bisphenol A monomer composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that in Example 1, the molar ratio of ethanol: methanol:methylene chloride was changed to 9:2:17 as shown in Table 1 below.

Example 3

A recycled bisphenol A monomer composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that in Example 1, the molar ratio of ethanol:methanol:methylene chloride was changed to 8:3:17 as shown in Table 1 below.

Example 4

A recycled bisphenol A monomer composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that in Example 1, the molar ratio of ethanol:methanol:methylene chloride was changed to 7:4:17 as shown in Table 1 below.

Example 5

A recycled bisphenol A monomer composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that in Example 1, the molar ratio of ethanol:methanol:methylene chloride was changed to 6:5:17 as shown in Table 1 below.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE Preparation of recycled bisphenol A monomer composition Comparative Example 1

A recycled bisphenol A monomer composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that in Example 1, the molar ratio of ethanol:methanol:methylene chloride was changed to 0:11:17 as shown in Table 1 below.

Comparative Example 2

A recycled bisphenol A monomer composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that in Example 1, the molar ratio of ethanol:methanol:methylene chloride was changed to 11:0:17 as shown in Table 1 below.

Experimental Example

The physical properties of the recycled bisphenol A monomer compositions or by-products obtained in the Examples and Comparative Examples were measured by the following methods, and the results are shown in Table 1 below.

1. Purity

1 wt % of the recycled bisphenol A monomer composition was dissolved in acetonitrile (ACN) solvent under normal pressure and 20 to 30° C. conditions, and then the purity of bisphenol A (BPA) was analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) on a Waters HPLC system using ACQUITY UPLC®BEH C18 1.7 μm (2.1*50 mm column).

2. Color coordinates (L*, a*, and b*)

The color coordinates of the recycled bisphenol A monomer compositions were analyzed in reflection mode using HunterLab UltraScan PRO Spectrophotometer.

3. Content of impurities (DMC, DEC, EMC)

1 ml of a by-product mixture solution of diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC) containing MC, MeOH, EtOH, and water separated in the distillation step was taken as a sample, and gas chromatography (GC) analysis was performed under the following conditions.

<Gas Chromatography (GC) conditions>

{circle around (1)} Column: HP-1(L:30m, ID:0.32 mm, film:1.05m)

{circle around (2)} Injection volume: 1

{circle around (3)} Inlet Temp.: 260° C., Pressure: 6.92 psi, Total flow: 64.2 ml/min, Split flow: 60 ml/min, spilt ratio: 50:1

{circle around (4)} Column flow: 1.2ml/min

{circle around (5)} Oven temp.: 70° C./3 min-10° C./min-280° C./41 min (Total 65 min)

{circle around (6)} Detector Temp.:280° C., H₂: 35 ml/min, Air: 300 ml/min, He: 20 ml/min

{circle around (7)} GC Model: Agilent 7890

Then, each standard sample of diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC) was dissolved in EtOH solvent at the same concentration, the peak area measured through GC was set as a reference value, and the ratio of the peak area values of each carbonate by-product (diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC)) in the sample (the peak area value of the sample / the peak area value of the standard sample) was obtained.

When the sum of the ratio of the peak area values of each of the carbonate by-products (diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC)) obtained through the GC result was set to 100%, the relative proportions of each carbonate by-product were calculated and shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Measurement result of Experimental Example 1 Recycled bisphenol A monomer composition Molar ratio of Purity Mixing ratio of impurities Category ethanol:methanol (%) L* a* b* DMC(%) EMC(%) DEC(%) Example 1 10:1  99.1 96.3 0.09 1.80 3 37 60 Example 2 9:2 99.1 96.1 0.05 1.72 8 51 37 Example 3 8:3 99.2 96.0 0.03 1.6 14 56 23 Example 4 7:4 99.4 96.0 −0.01 1.49 19 57 21 Example 5 6:5 99.4 95.9 −0.04 1.49 25 55 16 Comparative  0:11 99.4 95.77 −0.08 1.51 100 0 0 Example 1 Comparative 11:0  99.0 96.3 0.11 1.80 0 0 100 Example 2

As shown in Table 1, the recycled bisphenol A monomer compositions obtained in Examples 1 to 5 exhibited high purity of 99.1% to 99.4%. Also, the recycled bisphenol A monomer compositions obtained in Examples 1 to 5 exhibited a color coordinates L* of 95.9 to 96.3, a* of −0.04 to 0.09, and b* of 1.49 to 1.80, showing excellent optical properties. In addition, in the recycled bisphenol A monomer compositions obtained in Examples 1 to 5, all three carbonates of diethyl carbonate (DEC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC) were obtained as by-products. On the other hand, the recycled bisphenol A monomer composition obtained in Comparative Example 2 had a purity of 99.0%, which was decreased compared to that of Examples. Further, the recycled bisphenol A monomer composition obtained in Comparative Example 1 exhibited a color coordinate L* of 95.77, a* of −0.08, and b* of 1.51, and the recycled bisphenol A monomer composition obtained in Comparative Example 2 exhibited a color coordinate a* of 0.11, showing poor optical properties as compared to those of Examples. Further, in the recycled bisphenol A monomer composition obtained in Comparative Example 1, only dimethyl carbonate (DMC) was obtained as a by-product, and in the recycled bisphenol A monomer composition obtained in Comparative Example 2, only diethyl carbonate (DEC) was obtained as a by-product. 

1. A monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, comprising: an aromatic diol compound, wherein the monomer composition has a color coordinate L* of more than 95, and a color coordinate a* of −0.06 to 0.10, and wherein the monomer composition is a recovered product from a polycarbonate-based resin.
 2. The monomer composition according to claim 1, wherein the monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic has a color coordinate b* of less than
 2. 3. The monomer composition according to claim 1, wherein the aromatic diol compound has a purity of more than 99%.
 4. The monomer composition according to claim 1, further comprising two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, wherein the dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are recovered products from the polycarbonate-based resin.
 5. A monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, comprising: two or more compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate, wherein the dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and ethylmethyl carbonate are recovered products from a polycarbonate-based resin.
 6. The monomer composition according to claim 5 wherein the monomer composition comprises the dimethyl carbonate at a ratio of 1% to 30%, the diethyl carbonate at a ratio of 10% to 65%, and the ethylmethyl carbonate at a ratio of 30% to 60%.
 7. A method for preparing a monomer composition for synthesizing recycled plastic, the method comprising the steps of: depolymerizing a polycarbonate-based resin in the presence of a solvent containing methanol and ethanol; and separating a carbonate precursor from the depolymerization reaction product.
 8. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, wherein ethanol is contained in an amount of 1 mole to 15 moles relative to 1 mole of methanol.
 9. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, wherein a content of the methanol and ethanol is 10 moles to 15 moles relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin.
 10. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, wherein the depolymerization reaction of the polycarbonate-based resin is carried out by reacting a base in an amount of 0.5 moles or less relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin.
 11. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, wherein the solvent further comprises at least one organic solvent selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran, toluene, methylene chloride, chloroform, dimethyl carbonate, ethylmethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate and dipropyl carbonate.
 12. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 11, wherein a content of the organic solvent is 16 to 20 moles relative to 1 mole of the polycarbonate-based resin.
 13. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 11, wherein a content of the organic solvent is 1.5 moles to 2 moles relative to 1 mole of a total of methanol and ethanol.
 14. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, wherein the step of depolymerizing a polycarbonate-based resin in the presence of a solvent containing methanol and ethanol comprises: adding a base to a mixed solvent of methanol and ethanol and an organic solvent to prepare a catalyst solution; and adding the polycarbonate-based resin to the catalyst solution and stirring a mixture.
 15. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, wherein the step of separating a carbonate precursor from the depolymerization reaction product comprises: a reduced pressure distillation step of the depolymerization reaction product.
 16. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, further comprising: a purification of the depolymerization reaction product from which the carbonate precursor has been separated.
 17. The method for preparing a monomer composition according to claim 7, further comprising a neutralization reaction step of the depolymerization reaction product with an acid, before the separating step.
 18. A recycled plastic, comprising: a reaction product of the monomer composition of claim 1 and a comonomer.
 19. A recycled plastic, comprising: a reaction product of the monomer composition of claim 5 and a comonomer.
 20. A molded product comprising the recycled plastic of claim
 18. 